Lake Atitlan Travel Tips

Lake Atitlan will be a highlight to your Guatemala trip. It's known to be one of the most beautiful lakes in the world surrounded by so many Mayan villages!

Because of it's popularity, there are a handful of things to note before your visit, ESPECIALLY if you're a last minute type of traveler like I am :)

Travel Tips

• The moment you arrive in Lake Atitlan, you'll arrive in Panajachel. Go straight to the ATM to withdraw cash, which is about a 5 minute walk from the dock. You need cash to pay for your boat ride to get to the other villages.

• The only ATM I was able to find is located at these Google Coordinates: PRRR+433 Panajachel, Guatemala

Getting around

• Public and private boats run to and from every village in Lake Atitlan. The boats pretty much run every hour, or until they get full (~30 people).

• Boats start running at 7:15AM until around 5:00PM (water levels get high later at night).

• Public boats cost around 10-25 Quetal ($1.30 - $3.25) one way.

• Hiring a private boat driver costs around 800-1000 GTQ ($100-$130 USD) for the day. This is worth it for groups of four or more.

• Getting from Panajachel to the other villages takes quite a bit of time since it's the beginning point. It takes around 40 minutes to get to San Marcos La Laguna and 50 minutes to get to San Juan Laguna from Panajachel due to multiple stops along the way with people constantly getting on and off.

If you are on a time crunch, hiring a private driver may be worth the investment because times vary depending on how quickly the boats can fill, and how many people get on and off each stop.

Where to stay?

• If you only have 1-2 days in Lake Atitlan, I recommend staying in Panajachel. It is the most convenient place to stay since this is where tourist shuttles will pick and drop you off. However, if you have 3+ days, I recommend staying either in San Juan La Laguna OR San Marcos La Laguna (closer to hikes, hot spots, tours, activities).

• There so so many beautiful boutique hotels to stay at in Lake Atitlan. With this being said, hotel rooms will be limited. Especially if you're trying to stay at hotels like Hotel La Casa del Mundo, it is encouraged to book at least 2 months in advance. We booked everything the night before, and were very limited with our hotel options!